(Columbia, SC) -- It could soon cost people a lot more money to have a false alarm at their home or business.
The city council is considering a plan that would hike fines for alarm systems that send police on wild goose chases.
Right now, the first two false alarms are free. After that fines start at 25 dollars and go up to 100 dollars after that. City council members want to keep the first two false alarms free, but start charging 100 dollars after that.
Fines would go as high as 500 dollars.
Police say 95 percent of the alarm calls they get are false alarms.